The invention relates to technology for detecting force acting on a vehicle tire.
One example of a conventional device for detecting force acting on a tire in a vehicle has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 9-2240. In the conventional device, a stress sensor is inserted into a hole formed on a vehicle axis of the tire to detect the force acting on the tire. The stress sensor mainly comprises a strain gauge.
The device in the publication is mounted on a vehicle including a vehicle wheel in which the tire is mounted on the periphery of a disc wheel, and a vehicle body having a retaining body integrally retaining the vehicle wheel with the disc wheel for enabling rotation of the vehicle wheel by mounting the disc wheel on the same axis as that of the vehicle wheel. The retaining body in this case may be referred to as a hub, a hub carrier, a carrier, a spindle, a disc wheel support, or the like.
Abnormalities in detection of the device for detecting force acting on a tire may occur for some reason. Therefore, it is preferable that measures for avoiding the use of an abnormal detected value as a normal detected value be devised.
However, the publication does not include a configuration for detecting abnormalities in the device for detecting force acting on a tire.
On the other hand, a vehicular state variable sensor for detecting a state variable of a vehicle may be mounted on the vehicle in which the device for detecting force acting on a tire is mounted on. In this case, if the device for detecting force acting on a tire can be utilized to normalize detection of the vehicular state variable sensor, functions of the device for detecting force acting on a tire in the vehicle improve.